Newly Acquired World Cup Perspectives

Is he crying or trying to eat a soccer ball??

I have lots of friends that have a vested interest in the game of soccer and enjoy it to a level I will never be able to, but my roommates hyped the World Cup greatly leading up to it which lead me to give it an honest chance. After spending several hours watching, I have come to some perspectives I never had prior to watching.

1 - I genuinely enjoy the fact that the game keeps moving along. No major stoppages for fouls or timeouts like there are in my two favorite sports (Football/Basketball). The plethora of timeouts/fouls at the end of games is tiresome, but in soccer the game just keeps on moving. We can all think of critical moments of basketball games where the clock says 3 minutes left but in real time it takes about 30-40 minutes.

2 - I can't stand that group play games can end in a tie. Ending a game in a tie seems outdated, genuinely foolish and strips an opportunity for an exciting finish (shootout). A game ending in a tie would be like Football not having a playoff... wait a minute.

3 - Flopping happens in many sports, and there is one thing that I think we can all agree upon: Flopping is lame.  Yes, I know it happens in football and a lot in basketball, but the way players in Soccer roll on the ground screaming bloody murder is pathetic. It also forces the officials to have to make judgment calls on foul or no foul.

4 - Though Soccer isn't the most entertaining sport, it sure alleviates the worst sporting season of the year (summer baseball... ugh) and bridges the gap to football season.

5 - Offsides sucks. I say, let them cherry pick all they want. More scoring = more entertainment.

6 - Seeing the way it brings countrymen together is nothing short of impressive. Listening to the Ecuadorian fans sing in unison after scoring to go up 2-1 was very cool.

If you know my perspectives on soccer prior to this World Cup you'd hear nothing positive. I think I deserve SOME credit for looking at the game and offering fairly neutral thoughts on the game. I don't see myself following the game any time outside of this but once every four years is the perfect dose of soccer for me.

Edit: A former athlete of mine, Justin Siems, made me aware that I made the first error in my life. It was actually Ecuador that went up 2-1, not Honduras. Thanks for the feedback!